Shloka 14
Śaineya–Bhūriśravas: Genealogy, Svayaṃvara Contest, and the Maheśvara Boon
सप्तत्या सारथिं विद्ध्वा तुरज्जांश्न त्रिभिस्त्रिभि: । ध्वजमेकेन चिच्छेद माधवस्य रथे स्थितम्,तत्पश्चात् द्रोणके देखते-देखते सात्यकिने सौ बाणोंसे उनके सारथिको भी घायल कर दिया। युयुधानकी यह फुर्ती देखकर महारथी द्रोणने सत्तर बाणोंसे सात्यकिके सारथिको बींधकर तीन-तीन बाणोंसे उनके घोड़ोंको भी घायल कर दिया। फिर एक बाणसे सात्यकिके रथपर फहराते हुए ध्वजको भी काट डाला
saptatyā sārathiṁ viddhvā turaṅgāṁś ca tribhis tribhiḥ | dhvajam ekena ciccheda mādhavasya rathe sthitam ||
Sañjaya said: Having pierced the charioteer with seventy arrows, and striking the horses with three arrows each, he then severed with a single shaft the banner standing on Mādhava’s chariot.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how warfare targets both the physical and the symbolic: striking the charioteer, disabling horses, and cutting the banner demonstrates mastery used to destabilize an enemy’s capacity and morale. It invites reflection on kṣatriya-dharma—skill and courage in battle—while also revealing the ethical tension of violence directed at vulnerable supports (driver, horses) and identity-markers (dhvaja).
In the midst of the Drona Parva battle, a warrior unleashes a rapid sequence: he pierces the charioteer with seventy arrows, hits the horses with three arrows each, and then cuts down the banner on Mādhava’s (Kṛṣṇa’s) chariot with a single arrow—an act meant to display superiority and shake the opposing side.